Forensic psychiatric profile of offenders with diminished responsibility subjected to compulsory medical treatment under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

Forensic psychiatric profile of offenders with diminished responsibility subjected to compulsory medical treatment under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

 

Authors

 

A.V. Vaselovskaya

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research Tomsk State University”, Tomsk, Russian Federation

N.V. Olkhovik

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research Tomsk State University”, Tomsk, Russian Federation

A.V. Shesler

Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education “National Research Tomsk State University”, Tomsk, Russian Federation

 

https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2026-1(130)-131-140

 

Journal: Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. 2026; 1 (130):  131-140.

 

Abstract

Background.Individuals with mental disorders, due to their underlying condition, are capable of committing socially dangerous acts that cause significant harm to legally protected interests. Therefore, studying the characteristics of this category of individuals is essential, as it allows for determining the role of mental disorders in the mechanism of violent behavior, establishing the influence of other factors on their behavioral patterns, and, finally, ensuring the optimal choice of compulsory medical measures and preventive strategies. Objective. To analyze the forensic psychiatric characteristics of individuals who committed socially dangerous acts (SDA) in a state of diminished responsibility and to develop proposals for the prevention of recidivism. Materials and Methods. The empirical basis of the study includes results from a specially developed questionnaire, as well as statistical, formal-legal, and clinical-psychopathological analyses of medical records and court decisions. The study focused on 250 individuals from the Tomsk Region, the Udmurt Republic, and Moscow, who committed acts provided for by the Special Part of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in a state of diminished responsibility and were assigned compulsory medical measures. Results. Based on the analysis of forensic psychiatric profiles, the authors identified four levels of characteristics, each comprising a specific set of features: psychopathological (diagnosis, behavioral and emotional disorders, productive psychotic symptoms, etc.), individual-personality (beliefs, views, and attitudes), socio-demographic (gender, age, education, employment, family relations), and criminal-legal (nature of the committed act). Conclusion. The distinction between the psychopathological, individual-personality, and socio-demographic components, alongside the criminal-legal characteristic, is justified by their varying degrees of influence on the mechanism of socially dangerous behavior. These components are often intertwined, acting as simultaneous determinants of behavior, though their hierarchy of significance varies in each specific case. Consequently, the authors identified three variants of the mechanisms of socially dangerous behavior: 1) predominantly psychopathological, 2) predominantly individual-personality, and 3) predominantly socio-demographic. Specific preventive measures are proposed for each variant.

 

Keywords: forensic psychiatric profile of the individual, state of diminished responsibility, dangerous acts, mental disorders, compulsory medical measures.

 

Article (pdf)

 

Contacts

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Materials  

For citation: Vaselovskaya A.V., Olkhovik N.V., Shesler A.V. Forensic psychiatric profile of offenders with diminished responsibility subjected to compulsory medical treatment under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry.2026, 1 (130): 131-140. https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2026-1(130)-131-140

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